Thread: MD: Immigrant group sues sheriff's office

Immigrant group sues sheriff's office
Originally published November 26, 2008


By Ashley Andyshak
News-Post Staff



SILVER SPRING -- The state's largest immigrants' rights group has filed suit against the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, alleging the office will not release statistics on its participation in a controversial immigration law enforcement program.
CASA de Maryland filed suit Tuesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, requesting the immediate release of information regarding the county's relationship with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the 287(g) program.

Under the program, 26 county deputies have been trained to enforce federal immigration laws. CASA has expressed concern that the program would lead to racial profiling, and said Sheriff Chuck Jenkins' reluctance to release conviction statistics only adds to this belief.

"Officials from the sheriff's office have had numerous opportunities to dispel concerns that they are using this program to violate the constitutional rights of Frederick residents," said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland. "The fact that they have chosen not to do so strongly suggests that the requested information would only confirm our suspicions."

In a statement CASA issued Tuesday, citing county statistics, officials said more than 98 percent of those charged with immigration law violations in Frederick County are from Latin American countries. A majority of these were initially charged with driving without a license, not criminally violent offenses, CASA said. Fifteen have been charged with felonies.

The sheriff's office could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

www.fredericknewspost.com

In a statement CASA issued Tuesday, citing county statistics, officials said more than 98 percent of those charged with immigration law violations in Frederick County are from Latin American countries. A majority of these were initially charged with driving without a license, not criminally violent offenses, CASA said. Fifteen have been charged with felonies.

98%???? 'Nuff said! GREAT job guys, keep up the good work...
In my opinion if CASA doesn't like it, LEAVE!

Ah, that old "racial profiling" excuse. Folks, the sheriff is ENFORCING THE LAW. Just because latinos drive without licenses and get caught, doesn't equate to racial profiling.

.... lots of people end up in jail for driving with a burned out tail light.
Maybe cops are out there looking for people who have done things that are ILLEGAL - ya think!!

the huge, vast majority of illegals are from Latin America, DUH! But you can't arrest them because you racially profile? First of all great Americans of Casa de Maryland (NOT), being Latin American is not racial, but ethnic, second using this racial profiling arugument just shows that you have been well trained in the tactics of using/gaming the system to get what you want. Insane. Go home to Latin America, to your corridas, your telenovelas and all teh rest that makes up your Latin American. We are not going to be Latinized, this country is not for sale. Here we are Americans, we come from all over the world to live in this blessed land of opportunities and liberty. We have a way of life that the entire world recognizes. And we speak English, it is our language, the only language that unites this country. We are NOT going to make your Spanish language a second national language, it's not i our DNA. Before we ever did that we'd have to be fair then and make German the second language. Counting only those people here legally, German American outnumber Hispanic Americans by almost 2 to 1. You never hear them being referred to as Germans do you? So why are Hispanic Americans referred to as Hisapnics? That's because there are a bunch of people in teh Latino community who are using tactics to screw with us and game the system for their OWN power grab and greed. This needs to be exposed and needs to stop. This simply a demographic hegemony game that Americans are uncomfortable about denoucing because we are nice people but many have misplaced compassion and are politically correct. It's corupt, slimey, down right disgusting! We need to denouce this non sense and start being the faces of people who clearly are playing games.

Well said "alamb" !

Sheriff Stands Firm Against Casa
November 27, 2008 - 9:40am

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said Wednesday he will not bend to requests by the state's largest immigrant advocacy group for information on a controversial program that allows 26 deputies to enforce federal immigration laws.

CASA de Maryland filed suit Tuesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, requesting the immediate release of information on the county's relationship with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the 287(g) program.

"It's an interference tactic," Jenkins said. "Part of their plan to derail the program."

Jenkins said he has released to CASA the records his office has been allowed to provide. Some information must be authorized or released by ICE, he said.

Jenkins said the quantity of records and information sought in an October CASA request is enormous, and would cost his office about $35,000 to process.

He would be willing to release it, but not at the expense of county taxpayers, he said.

"I don't think CASA is satisfied," Jenkins said.

Justin Cox, a legal fellow at CASA, said the group is concerned there is evidence of racial profiling by Frederick County deputies related to the 287(g) program.

CASA also has reason to believe some deputies who have no training or certification from the 287(g) agreement are nonetheless acting as if they had, thereby violating terms of the memorandum of agreement between ICE and the sheriff's office, Cox said.

Jenkins countered Wednesday that his agency does not profile the people it arrests by ethnicity or race, and has yet to receive a complaint from a detainee.

"It's a baseless accusation," he said.

Deputies on the streets are making criminal arrests, Jenkins said. The issue of immigration status doesn't come up until they are processed at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center.

In multiple requests since March, Cox said CASA has sought information about the training and certification of officers involved in the 287(g) program.

He said CASA has also requested information about the 287(g) memorandum of agreement between ICE and the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, which has been repeatedly denied.

The sheriff's office has either denied the requests, said it didn't have or didn't own the information, or stated federal law, or ICE, prohibited it from disclosing documents and records.

When asked which federal law prohibited disclosure, Cox said a sheriff's office representative could not cite one.

"There is no such federal law that prohibits disclosure (for the information CASA requested)," he said.

Denials of information at the state level must include a reason for exemption, which the sheriff's office has yet to provide, Cox said.

Jenkins said he believed the existence of CASA is ludicrous.

"This is a group funded by your governor that advocates for criminal aliens and illegal immigrants to not cooperate with law enforcement," Jenkins said. "I just think it's outrageous."

"That's an absurd and ridiculous statement," Cox said. "CASA doesn't advocate any illegal behavior whatsoever."

He said CASA does believe Jenkins is using harmful stereotypes about immigrants as violent criminals to drive them from Frederick.

"The fact is, immigrants commit crimes at lower rates," Cox said.

Simply being in the country without legal status is a civil, not criminal violation, Cox said. In fact, the roughly 12 million or so undocumented immigrants in the country would be better off if it were a criminal violation because they would have to be afforded an attorney by the state, which is not a current requirement, he said.


http://www.wtop.com/?nid=598&sid=1527252

"The fact is, immigrants commit crimes at lower rates," Cox said.

I agree, legal immigrants probably do commit crimes at a lower rate but illegal aliens don't!

IMO, one of the biggest favors we could do ourselves in the fight against illegal immigration is to publicy correct the illegal advocates everytime they attempt to obfuscate the issue with their failure to make a distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. The American public deserves to know the truth. However, confusing the truth is a designed ploy by the enemy (it's all part of the big plan).